Golf club



Patented Nov. 9, 1937 s res OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in golf clubs.

One object of the invention is to provide automatically effective aidfor the correction of a faulty action in taking the club back inpreparation for the down swing and for the promotion of a correct orsubstantially correct down-swing and follow-through. In this respect theinvention is applicable with advantage to all types of golf clubs exceptputters.

The invention also has features which are particularly applicable toclubs of the driver type, i. e. drivers, brassies, and spoons, and whichhave to do with the object above described and with the further objectof ready and convenient adjustment of the club head weight, as to massand distribution, with a View toward overcoming such faults as digging,i. e. hitting the ground'or turf in back of the ball before impact withthe ball, smothering the ball, i. e. imparting to it an unfavorabledown-spin which results in a great impairment of distance, topping theball, and down-swings of the kind which result in slices or hooks, asthe case may be.

The first named object of the invention and the manner in which it isobtained will be more readily understood if, as a preliminary, attentionbe called briefly to certain requirements of a good swing and to thereason why, in many instances, those requirements are so indifferentlymet. In the case of the average right handed player the club should betaken back in preparation for the down-swing by the left hand and theleft arm this backward movement should be kept fairly well extended andclose to the body, the theory being that the perfect are thus made onthe backward movement will be automatically repeated during thedown-swing. The left wrist, however, is, in many cases, relatively weakand the player unconsciously in taking the club back uses the right armand wrist and, instead of keeping the left arm straight, bends it at theelbow and thus starts his down-swing with the left arm bent, therebyshortening the arc of the down-swing and otherwise impairing it with atendency toward some one or more of the common faults above enumeratedin connection with the hitting of the ball.

The invention contemplates the use in the club head of a weight which isautomaticallyretracted during the back-swing, whereby the left hand andwrist will have less work to do, i. e. will encounter less resistancethan with a club head of standard construction, whereas on thedown-swing, the said weight will be maintained projected by centrifugalforce with a resultant increased pull on the left arm which will tend tokeep it straight and will thus promote material improvement in the arcof the down-swing. The said weight is adjustable to modify the weightdistribution of the club head to suit the requirements of the individualplayer who, upon competent analysis of his playing faults, will makesuch adjustment of the weight as will tend to overcome, minimize orcorrect those faults, whether of digging, smothering, topping, slicingor hooking.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the head of a club of the driver type inwhich the features of the invention are incorporated, the weight beingshown in the position it assumes during the backswing.

Figure 2 is a similar View of the club head, the weight in this casebeing shown in the position it assumes during the down-swing.

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of the same figure.

The club head 5, as illustrated, is in a form which is standard forclubsof the driver type and is adapted to be mounted upon the lower end of asuitable shaft in conventional manner, A recess 5 is formed in the head5, the sole plate 1 of the head providing a closure member for the saidrecess. A segmental plate 8 is arranged in the recess 5, the said plateproviding a weighting means and being mounted for free pivotal movementupon a pin 9 which is carried by the sole plate 1. The weight of theplate 8 is augmented by an element 3. The latter is formed or providedwith a stud l I which extends through and which is adjustable in aV-shaped slot I! which is formed in the plate 8, the said stud carryinga nut is which may betightened to secure the element 58 in the desiredposition.

During the back-swing of the club the club head is pointed upward. Theplate 8, therefore, moves by gravity to a position adjacent the heel ofthe club head as shown in Figure 1. In this position the Weight of theclub head offers less resistance to the left hand and wrist than isoffered by a standard club head of comparable aggregate weight. When theback-swing is fully completed the left arm should be fully extendedtoward the right, close to the body, and the club should be fullyextended across the shoulders of the player and toward the left with theclub head pointing downward, the left wrist being cocked. It will beapparent, therefore, that as the back-swing is completed the plate 8will move by gravity toward the toe of the club head as i1- lustrated inFigure 2, such movement being limited by a screw I4 which is carried bythe said plate and which engages the front wall of the recess 6. Thesaid screw may be adjusted axially so that the plate 8 will be held ata. predetermined position in the recess 6 during the downswing while theelement In is adjustable toward and away from the toe of the club headand toward and away from the striking face to vary the distribution ofthe weight of the weighting means. During the down-swing the plate 8,owing to centrifugal force, remains in its extended position, theconcentration of weight at the toe of the club head exerting a pull onthe left arm which tends to maintain that arm straight throughout thedown-swing, thereby promoting the proper arc and follow-through andpreventing or minimizing that bending of the left arm which tends toshorten the arc and impair the swing.

The average weight of a standard club head of the driver type, includingthe lead weight in the back of the club head, is seven ounces orslightly more. The elimination of such lead weight, as provided for bythe present invention, in connection with the recessing of the clubhead, reduces the weight of the club head to about four ounces. Theplate 8 and associated parts which are arranged in the recess 6 increasethe aggregate weight of the club head to whatever value may be desired,according to the physical characteristics of the player. It is theweight represented by the said plate and associated parts which isshiftable from heel to toe and toe to heel in the manner aboveexplained. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the shifting of saidweight very materially lessens the work which is required of the lefthand and wrist during the back-swing, as compared with the standard clubhead and very materially increases the pull on the left arm during thedown-swing.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a sector-like plate in said recess and means for pivotallymounting said plate so that it is movable during a backswing of the clubto concentrate its weight in the vicinity of the heel of the club headand is movable during a down-swing of the said club to concentrate itsweight in the vicinity of the toe of said club head, said means beingconnected to said plate in the vicinity of the point toward which theradially extending sides of said plate converge.

2. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a sector-like plate in said recess and means for pivotallymounting said plate so that it moves by gravity to a position in thevicinity of the heel of the club head during the greater part of aback-swing and moves by gravity to a position in the vicinity of the toeof said club head as the latter approaches the limit of said back-swing,said plate being held in said last named position by centrifugal forceand gravity during the down-swing of said club, said means beingconnected to said plate in the vicinity of the point toward which theradially extending sides of said plate converge.

3. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a weighting element in said recess, means for pivotally mountingsaid element so that it moves by gravity during a back-swing of the clubto concentrate its weight in the vicinity of the heel of the club headand moves during a down-swing of the said club to concentrate its weightin the vicinity of the toe of said club head and means which isadjustable to predetermine the point at which said element is arrestedin its movement to said lastnamed position.

4. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess and a sole plate which fits over the open end of said recess, aplate in said recess and means for pivotally mounting said plate uponsaid sole plate so that it moves by gravity to a position in thevicinity of the heel of the club head during a back-swing and moves bycentrifugal force and gravity to a position in the vicinity of the toeof said club head during a down-swing, said means being connected tosaid plate in the vicinity of the point toward which the radiallyextending sides of said plate converge.

5. Ina golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess and a sole plate which fits over the open end of said recess, aplate in said recess, means for pivotally mounting said plate upon saidsole plate so that it moves by gravity to a position in the vicinity ofthe heel of the club head during a back-swing and moves .to a positionin the vicinity of the toe of said club head during a down-swing andmeans which is adjustable to predetermine the point at which saidelement is arrested in its movement to said last named position.

6. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a plate in said recess for providing a weighting means, meansfor pivotally mounting said plate so that it moves by gravity to aposition in the vicinity of the heel of the club head during aback-swing and moves by centrifugal force to a position in the vicinityof the toe of said club head during a down-swing and an auxiliary weightwhich is mounted for adjustment on said plate.

'7. In a. golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a plate in said recess, means for pivotally mounting said plateso that it moves by gravity to a position in the vicinity of the heel ofthe club head during a back-swing and moves by centrifugal force to aposition in the vicinity of the toe of said club head during adown-swing, said plate being formed to provide a slot and an auxiliaryweight carried by said plate and adjustable along said slot.

8. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a plate in said recess, means for pivotally mounting said plateso that it moves by gravity to a position. in the vicinity of the heelof the club head during a back-swing and moves by centrifugal force to aposition in the vicinity of the toe of said club head during adown-swing, said plate being formed to provide a slot, an auxiliaryweight carried by said plate and adjustable along said slot and anadjustable element carried by said plate which is adapted to engage awall of said recess to arrest said element at a predetermined point inits movement to said last named position.

9. In a golf club of the driver type, a club head having an internalrecess, a plate in said recess, means for pivotally mounting said plateso that it moves by gravity to a position in the vicinity of the heel ofthe club head during a back-swing and moves by centrifugal force to aposition in the vicinity of the toe of said club head during adown-swing, an auxiliary weight which is mounted for adjustment on saidplate and means which is adjustable to predetermine the point at whichsaid element is arrested in its movement to said last named position.

WILLIAM L. WE'I'ILAUFER.

